Ars Moriendi
by majorcharacterdeath
Summary: A diplomatic mission goes wrong, sending a grievously injured Jim into the hands of a group that wants to end the Federation once and for all. Inspired partially by some of the events of Marvel's Iron Man. Takes place after Into Darkness.
1. Shuttle

Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying)

Jim breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he shook the Tetrarch's hand. He was grateful that a diplomatic mission had, for once, gone smoothly. Even Spock looked pleased, his lips turned in a slight smirk and his shoulders relaxed.

The _Enterprise_ had landed in the Paqu territory of Bajor earlier that day, sent by the Federation to extend their promises of protection in person. After years of civil war with the Navot people following the removal of Cardassian occupation, the Federation decided to step in and end the bloodbath. They wanted the planet to stabilize so that the current provisional government could get a foothold and allow Bajor to grow as a Class M planet and, perhaps eventually, join the Federation.

Jim had certainly not looked forward to this mission. He knew that the Navot people had no intentions of making peace with the Paqu; their goal was to wipe them off the planet. He also knew that they were notoriously anti-Federation, which would not bode well for the crew of the _Enterprise_ if their presence was made known. Which may or may not have been why Jim couldn't stop bouncing on his feet or wringing his hands. Noticing that he was currently doing the latter, he stole a quick glance to make sure Bones hadn't seen.

_Oh yeah, _Jim thought, _he definitely saw._

The doctor was looking at Jim with a mix of worry and annoyance (typical). Worry regarding the source of his friend's anxiety. Annoyance at the fact that the man could not ever seem to sit still.

Jim slid his hands down to his sides and bowed to the Paqu Tetrarch, a 15 year old girl named Varis Sul. The death of her father led to her early ascension to leadership, and she seemed to be handling the title very well. He felt a certain comradery between them, as he knew what it was like to be young and have so many lives depending on them. It was a very rare occurrence, which is why Jim felt so inclined to help her on behalf of the Federation.

The small landing party, consisting of Jim, Bones, Spock, Sulu, and Uhura, followed the cheering Paqu into a long, elegant building for celebration. It didn't take Jim and Bones long to find the alcohol. Spock found his way over to some science officials and was discussing warp technology amongst other things. Sulu and Uhura were quietly chatting off to the side, often taking glances around the room at the peculiar humanoid species hosting them.

"What was that all about?" Bones asked Jim gruffly before taking a swig from the giant gauntlet he had been handed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You looked like a nervous wreck talking to the Tetrarch. It's not like the unflappable James T. Kirk look like a sweaty mess because of a teenage girl."

Jim snorted. "Wow Bones, for a guy older than Starfleet, you're sure quick as a whip."

Bones raised an eyebrow, unamused and waiting for an answer.

Jim looked down at his own gauntlet and shrugged. "You know I hate these diplomatic missions. Especially when half the population would love to have our heads on sticks if they knew we were here."

"Don't worry so much, kid. We'll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, we can leave now. Tell them we have another assignment and need to hit the road pronto."

The young captain felt an ounce of weight lift from shoulders. While he usually didn't like to run away from things, this particular mission was giving him bad vibes and his intuition was yelling at him to get off Bajor as soon as humanly possible. He looked up at Bones and nodded in agreement. The doctor looked shocked that Jim had conceded so easily.

A few minutes later, the away crew was awaiting the arrival of the shuttles that would bring them to a place where the _Enterprise _could safely beam them up. Transport signals on Bajor were spotty at best. The shuttles seated 5, including the pilot, so Jim had gone separately with Varis Sul on the way to the peace talks. They had agreed to do the same on the trip back. As the shuttles arrived, the two groups parted ways.

Spock slid smoothly into one of the seats, and Bones dropped himself roughly into the one beside him with a huff and a furrowed brow.

"Pardon me saying, Doctor McCoy, but you seem immensely troubled. Your body language suggests that something is on your mind. Would you care to discuss your concerns?"

Bones looked over at the Vulcan, and then shook his head. "Damn, is there anything you don't notice?" He dragged a hand across his face, leaving his fingers covering his eyes. "Jim's uneasy, so, in turn, I'm uneasy." The shuttle started up, sending vibrations through their feet. "This whole mission's got him strung like a violin, so I'm anxious to be back on board the _Enterprise_ for his sake."

Spock watched Jim's shuttle through the window, which was maintaining speed with theirs. With the windows tinted, it was impossible to actually see the captain, but it was comforting to know he was near. Nothing had gone wrong; thus, Kirk's nervousness had no reason to come to fruition. He turned to look back at Bones.

"Doctor, I can assure you-"

A huge blast cut Spock off short. He turned in time to watch Jim's shuttle explode in an enormous fireball, sending it flipping forwards about 10 meters before it stopped upside-down in the sand.

At the same time, the explosion propelled the shuttle Spock and the rest of the crew were in onto its side.

"Jesus!" cried McCoy, as the shuttle groaned and spun, sending the people inside flying throughout the interior.

Bones attempted to shield his head with his arms, but nothing stopped the collision of his body with the wall. He was immediately submerged in darkness.

The explosion sent Jim careening through the windshield of the shuttle. He felt as though he was being torn apart; the pain encompassing his body was unlike any he'd experienced before. He landed meters away from the shuttle on his back, cracking his head against the cracked sandy ground.

Breaths came short and quick. Jim felt warmth spreading across his torso, and lifted his head to realize that he was covered in blood. Pieces of glass and shrapnel jutted out of his body at disturbing angles. One of the largest pieces of shrapnel was lodged precariously close to his heart. Or maybe it was in his heart. He couldn't tell; things were beginning to go blurry. Jim noticed that his vision was starting to swim, and his hands were going numb. His head dropped back down in the sand with a thud, and he stared at blue sky above him. He could feel blood pooling under him, and he thought about how desperately he hoped that Bones had seen and was on his way to help him.

And then he thought no more.


	2. Cave

Chapter 2: Cave

_Voices. Shouting in a language he didn't know. The same voices whispering. Not Bones._

_Burning. Pain. He was on fire. He was certain he was on fire._

_He could see. Hands around him. Hands inside him._

_Screaming. Screaming. Screaming. _

_Darkness._

_Cold in his chest. Metal in his ribs. The distinct feeling of _wrong_._

_Darkness. Silence._

Jim awoke with a jolt, gasping. He immediately regretted his decision to be alive.

His eyes screwed shut on their own, the fluorescent light shining on him shooting bolts of pain through his skull. _Concussion_, he thought to himself. _Just great. _

Agony erupted from his left thigh, and it took everything Jim had to hold in the cry that bubbled in his throat. _Broken leg. Even better._

Jim could feel a dull pain in his shoulder, and he knew it had to be dislocated. It had happened so often that he didn't even have to consider-

"Good morning, Captain Kirk."

Jim turned with a start, and felt every injury groan with the movement. He felt like his chest had been taken apart and put back together completely wrong. To be completely honest, Jim wasn't sure there was any part of him that wasn't experiencing some level of pain.

He was laying in some kind of cot, or maybe just a tremendously uncomfortable bed.

He was definitely not in sickbay.

A small human man sat in a plastic chair to his left. The contrast between his large round glasses and relatively small head made him look like a mouse. He didn't seem to be a threat.

"Who are you?" Jim tried to sound commanding, but instead his voice was quiet and cracked. His throat felt as dry as Vulcan. For some reason, freezing air was pumping through his nose and into his esophagus in a way that was completely uncomfortable. He lifted a hand to his nose (which took way more effort than he would ever admit) and felt a cannula stuck in his nostrils. _How very 21__st__ century_.

The man stood and adjusted his lab coat, leaning over to look Jim over. He grabbed Jim's wrist and pulled his hand away from his nose, laying it back on the bed. The action was not gentle by any means.

"You have a severe concussion, dislocated right shoulder, a broken fever, and several broken ribs. Not to mention…" He trailed off, checking a bandage surrounding Jim's broken leg.

"Who are you?" This time, he was louder, more forceful.

With a sigh, the man replied, "I am Doctor Olin. It is my job to make sure you remain alive, regardless of how dead you should be."

"What happened? Where am I?" As he became more awake, Jim began to notice a peculiar feeling in his chest. It felt _cold_, and it felt foreign. He couldn't tell if he was imagining it, if it was just a manifestation of his skyrocketing anxiety.

"Relax, Captain. We have nothing, if not time."

Olin removed the bandage from around Jim's thigh, and he groaned. He noted that the bandage was filthy, covered in dirt and soaked with blood. It took him a moment to realize that it was his blood.

His leg stung something fierce as the doctor scrubbed the area around the break. The leg was rewrapped, and Olin moved on. If Jim closed his eyes, he could almost pretend he was in sickbay. But, when he opened his eyes, he stared up into harsh lights and a low cave ceiling. _Huh. I'm in a cave._ _That's… unexpected. _

A sudden throbbing in his chest made Jim aware once more of Olin moving around him. The cold became more intense, and Jim gasped. He had to know what was causing these abnormal feelings.

He lifted his head off of the table he was laying on. And nearly threw up.

Underneath the dirty bandages surrounding his torso was a lump in the center of his chest.

A lump that was definitely not there before.

Jim ripped the bandages away, causing Olin to scold him loudly. But Jim didn't hear him. He was staring at the thick metal disk protruding from his sternum. It was covered in screws and wires and looked like something he would've built when he was eleven, back on his farm in Iowa.

His panic built as he followed the trail of wires to on object on the table next to him that looked eerily like an ancient car battery. He realized that that was exactly what it was.

Jim turned to Olin, who was once more sitting in his chair, and whispered, "_What have you done to me?"_ It sounded more like a threat than a question.

The small doctor sighed and entwined his fingers.

"They blew up your shuttle. When they recovered you, you were more shrapnel than man. You were brought to me, and I did my best to remove it all. However, several pieces were too close to your heart to remove. Any attempt to do so would have sent them straight into your heart, effectively ending your life. This battery stops them from reaching their destination. Without it, you would surely be dead."

Jim shook his head in disbelief.

"Where am I? And who are 'they'?"

Voices grew louder outside the metal door on the other side of the cave. Olin stood quickly, as if he had been electrocuted. His back was straight, and he looked visibly frightened.

Jim had moments to take this all in before the door slammed open and hooded men (Jim could only guess they were men based on their physique) carrying phasers marched through.

One of the figures stepped head of the rest and removed his hood. He had eyebrows that rivalled Nero's and a ridge on the bridge of his nose that indicted that he was a Bajoran. He grinned like a shark at Jim.

"Stand when I am addressing you," he demanded, speaking perfect English.

Jim couldn't help himself. "Does it look like I'm going to be doing that anytime soon?" he scoffed.

The Bajoran nodded to two others on his left, who stepped out of the group and made their way over to Jim. They split at the foot of his bed, one going to his left and the other to his right. Grabbing his arms roughly, they pulled him off of the bed, causing the table the car battery was resting on to roll with him.

The pain was unbelievable, and Jim's vision went white. He was pretty sure he passed out for a few seconds, because when the pain receded slightly and his sight returned, his head was resting against his chest and he was staring at the smooth floor. He was hanging limply in between the Bajorans holding him. Jim looked up at the leader.

His grin appeared to have grown in the time it took to get Jim to his feet.

"What do you want?" Jim asked, tasting blood in his mouth.

"Greetings, Captain James T. Kirk of Starfleet. Thank you for joining us. Your services will be required indefinitely."

"My services?" Jim felt unease creeping into him.

The Bajoran laughed, a full body laugh that sent chills down Jim's back.

"The doctor hasn't told you? Captain, you're going to build us a warp core!"


	3. Navot

Chapter 3: Navot

"Are you out of your mind?! I'm a captain, not an engineer. I have no idea how to build a warp core."

Jim spit on the ground, unable to swallow the blood that had pooled in his mouth. He looked briefly at the dark red splotch on the ground below him, nausea rising in his gut.

The Bajoran crossed the cave in long, easy strides. Before Jim could take another breath, the man was in his face.

"Do you think I am stupid? Do you think I have not done my research?"

He smiled with the warmth of a viper, hot breath assaulting Jim's face.

"Captain, I know all about you. I know about your friendship with a certain Mister Scott. I know that you work often with him in repairing your _Enterprise. _You may be a captain, but you are no ordinary captain."

"Why me? Why not find an actual engineer or a physicist whose job it is to know these things?"

"Why do you think the doctor is here? To keep you company? No, Captain. He knows the transwarp equations. You, on the other hand, will be the one building the core."

Jim scoffed and shook his head. "Look, I may know how to repair a warp core, but I sure as hell don't know how to build one. You're out of luck."

The Bajoran lashed out with a swift punch to Jim's gut, and he would have been on the ground in the fetal position if not for the men keeping him upright. A hand grabbed Jim's chin sharply and pulled his head up, bringing him face to face with the leader. He was speckled in blood; some must have come out of Jim's mouth from the power of the hit to his stomach.

"I can assure you, Captain, that it will not be my luck that has run out if you cannot build this warp core."

With a nod, he released Jim's jaw and the two men on either side dropped his arms. He fell hard to the floor.

The Bajorans were gone from the cave, leaving Jim alone with Olin.

The small doctor rushed to Jim, heaving the larger man back onto his bed.

"Who _is _that son of a bitch?" Jim asked, hoping that by squeezing his eyes shut he could ignore the pain he was in.

"His name is Duranja. He is a Navot, as are all his men."

Jim felt a chill run through his body. "Shit."

This was exactly what he was afraid of. They knew he was Federation, that Starfleet was talking peace with the Paqu.

"He said you worked with warp cores. How? Are you Starfleet?"

Olin sighed. "I was, until I was kidnapped a few years back. They believed I could build them a core, which I could not. I am a physicist."

Something clicked in Jim's memory. "I think I remember watching holos about your disappearance. Starfleet went nuts trying to find you, man."

"Because I am one of the few who worked very closely with Mister Scott's equations. I have studied them for years since his arrival from Delta Vega. It was catastrophic for me to fall into enemy hands."

Jim was silent. The man was right. The only thing worse than that was to actually hand over a functional warp core. Fury built in his chest.

"I'm not building that asshole a warp core."

Olin didn't look up from his evaluation of the quickly forming bruises on Jim's abdomen. "You have no choice in the matter."

"Of course I do. I always do."

"I am assuming you have a plan?"

"Do you have all the materials necessary to build the core?"

"What will you require?

"Deuterium, antideuterium, dilithium crystal, flat rounded nodules, copper tubing, nanopolymer, and something to drink. I'm parched."

/

Author's Note: Sorry this one is so short, I'm in the middle of midterms but I really wanted to update. Thank you all for your positive feedback!


	4. Meanwhile

Chapter 4: Meanwhile

Three days. Three days had passed since the shuttle exploded, since Bones last saw Jim.

A lot could happen in three days. A whole goddamn lot.

Bones groaned and dropped his head onto his desk. The movement shot a spike of pain through the doctor's brain, making him instantly regret doing so.

It had taken him about half an hour to wake up from the crash. He came to lying in the sand next to the fiery remains of the shuttles, a troubled Spock leaning over him. The Vulcan had a streak of green blood smeared across his forehead mixed in with the soot and ash from the crash. He had also been holding his left arm close to his body, which made Bones suspect that he had broken something.

McCoy immediately knew he was concussed. If the excruciating pain of opening his eyes didn't give him the hint, then the nausea that quickly rose to his throat did. He had none-too-subtly thrown up all over the sand next to him. He gave Spock a look that told him to beware should he ever mention it to anyone.

After depositing his lunch from the banquet only an hour earlier- _God, had it only been an hour?_\- Bones realized that something was wrong. Spock had certainly looked worried, and it occurred to Bones that he would know better than to fear for the doctor's health if all that he had was a minor concussion.

The memories came rushing back to him, and for a moment Bones thought he was going to be sick again.

"Where's Jim?" he had slurred, feeling his heart drop in his stomach.

The change in Spock's expression had been infinitesimal. There was a sudden weight to his gaze, one that seemed to be laced with fear.

"Spock?"

"Doctor, I regret to inform you that the captain is missing."

McCoy could've sworn he'd heard the Vulcan's voice break. Or maybe his concussion was altering his hearing. At that point he couldn't have been sure.

_Missing? Where could he have gone after a crash like that?_

That's when it really hit him. That it was impossible for Jim to have gone anywhere after such a crash. That there was no way that shuttle had just randomly exploded.

They'd been ambushed. And now Jim was gone.

The away team had returned to the _Enterprise_ to begin the search for their captain with their more advanced technology. They had also learned that the Tetrarch had been killed in the explosion, and they had decided that leaving the Paqu people to mourn in peace was in everyone's best interest.

Scotty and Chekov couldn't trace Jim's communicator, leading them to the conclusion that it had been destroyed. Whether that had occurred during or following the crash, no one could say. Bones didn't want to think about it.

"Doctor, I am aware that you would rather not discuss our current situation regarding the captain at this moment. However, it is imperative that we formulate a logical plan to locate him."

Bones wearily lifted his eyes from the desk, having momentarily forgotten that the Vulcan had followed him to his office. The bastard.

In all honesty, Spock looked like shit. His left arm was in a temporary sling, as there was no time to use the bone regenerator to fix the break yet. A nasty looking cut decorated his forehead, and the alien was paler than usual. None of them had slept since the incident. If Spock looked so disheveled, then Bones could only assume that he himself looked at least ten times worse. In fact, he was almost positive he could actually feel the bruise-like bags that had formed under his eyes sagging onto his cheeks.

"We both know where he is."

Spock tried to look confused, but McCoy could see the distress hidden in his gaze.

"Doctor?"

"Damn it," the doctor stood up and slammed his palms down on the desk, hanging his head to avoid eye contact; "you're going to make me say it, aren't you? He's been taken by the Navot. Of course he has. They hate Starfleet, and Jim's the goddamn poster boy. Who else on that hellish dust bowl would have an incentive to kidnap the most well-known starship captain in history?!"

The room remained silent, and McCoy realized he'd been shouting. He exhaled loudly and dragged a hand down his face.

"I'm sorry, Spock. It's just… it hurts more knowing that Jim had a bad feeling about this from the get-go. The kid was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I promised him he'd be fine."

He finally looked up at the XO.

"Does any of this seem fine to you? Can we say with any kind of certainty that Jim is even in the realm of 'fine'?"

'No, Doctor," The emotion in Spock's eyes was no longer hidden, "We cannot."


	5. Crescendo

**Author's Note: Sorry for waiting so long to update! Life got in the way. I just graduated, so hopefully now I'll have more free time. As an apology for keeping you waiting, I'm posting two chapters. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: The Crescendo

Jim yelped as he was thrown to the floor. Black spots popped and fizzled in front of his eyes. The guards who had dragged him back into the lab slammed the door behind them, leaving Jim alone with Olin. The small doctor was by his side in a second.

"What was it this time?"

"Taser."

Olin tsked and began looking over the burn marks on Jim's neck. This wasn't the first time they'd gone through this routine.

After weeks of slow progress, their captors had grown bored. During this time, they also seemed to realize that they had a Starfleet captain in their possession. They figured he might know something important. So, naturally, they'd taken to torturing Jim. Today, they'd repeatedly stuck him with some kind of taser. On other days, he'd been water boarded, or strangled, or just straight up had the shit beaten out of him.

"What are the codes?" they would ask, repeatedly. Jim wasn't really sure what codes they were talking about. He didn't think they knew either. They were just digging until they found gold, he guessed. Either way, he'd been electrocuted so many times that, eventually, he couldn't feel his feet. Or his hands. Or much of anything, for that matter.

"Kirk! Come on, Kirk!"

Jim opened his eyes- wait, he'd closed them?

"Mmm? What happened?"

"You passed out. Try to stay awake, hmm? We have work to do. We are nearly finished, if you recall."

The captain groaned and slowly pushed himself off of the ground, using the cart carrying his heart battery for stabilization. His leg hadn't healed yet, and the bandage covering the spot where the bone had torn through the flesh in his thigh was black with soot. He was grateful that the area hadn't become infected, what with the dirty bandages that'd been covering it since the incident.

Jim put a hand to the contraption in his chest, letting the heat of it travel through his numb fingers. He still wasn't used to the foreign object, but he was grateful for anything keeping him alive at this point.

"Alright. Let's work."

The two men turned to the small disk waiting on their workbench.

"Any signs of him yet?" Bones asked, glancing down at the Vulcan sitting quietly in the command chair.

"Negative, Doctor. But we've only just commenced the search. There is time yet."

Bones groaned and crossed his arms. "Of course this isn't going to be easy. It'd be too much to ask that we just find him in a bar somewhere, chugging something hard and laughing at the worried looks on all our faces."

The silence on the bridge was harrowing.

Each day they didn't find Jim was worse than the one before it. Hope was swiftly dwindling, and the crew of The_ Enterprise _was becoming increasingly desperate. No one had slept in days, and would only eat when the concerned Doctor McCoy forced food in front of them.

Bones sighed, and was about to mention the broth he'd brought up when-

"I'm detecting life signals!"

The bridge seemed to draw a collective breath.

"There's something down there," whispered Uhura.

"Someone," corrected Spock. "There's someone down there."

Jim leaned over his creation, blinking through the sweat dripping into his eyes. The tiny screwdriver in his fingers kept slipping out of place, which was slowly sending the captain over the edge.

Olin stood nearby, periodically wiping Jim's brow with an oily cloth. He hadn't spoken in a while, as he could feel the man's irritation radiating from him.

After another failed attempt, Jim growling and slammed the screwdriver onto the table. He covered his face with his hands and tried to take calming breaths.

"Allow me, Captain."

The doctor gently elbowed Kirk out of the way, pushed up his glasses, and went to work with the screwdriver. Without looking up, he addressed his companion.

"Your hands are shaking. That is why you must take a break."

"My hands haven't stopped shaking since I woke up in this godforsaken cave, Olin."

"You're incorrect, Captain. This is new, since your encounter with the taser. You must rest, for I fear you have suffered overexposure."

"No shit. The guy was a little trigger-happy."

An aching pain erupted in Jim's chest, and he grimaced.

"I don't think being electrocuted with this thing in my chest was a good idea." Jim grunted, suddenly finding the air in the cave too heavy.

"I can assure you that it was not."

The young captain sighed and sat in a nearby chair, allowing his head to fall back and his eyes to close. He felt more exhausted than he had during his experience with Khan and the warp core. That felt easy compared to his current situation. At least then he'd had his crew and his ship. It had been his decision to give his life. Here, in enemy hands on a hostile desert planet, he had nothing. He had no choices and no friends aside from his fellow prisoner. Jim began to question if he even had hope left.

Surely his crew would be looking for him by now, right?

If he could hold out for just a bit longer, maybe he could survive this whole ordeal.

"Captain, take a look. I believe our task to be complete."

Jim's head shot up, and with wide eyes he appraised the contraption in Olin's hands.

"Holy shit, we've done it."

There, in the doctor's small palms, rested a warp core the size of Jim's hand. Despite having been built in a cave, it had the elegance of a Starfleet model. Jim whistled and gently took it from the doctor, admiring their work from all angles.

"Okay, let's do this," Jim breathed, placing the core onto the table and making his way over to his bed.

"Are you sure? This may be painful." Olin looked honestly concerned. He had never performed such a procedure before and was uncertain about how he should proceed.

"I have no choice but to be sure."

Jim hastily removed the worn sweater he was wearing, ignoring the flares of pain that came with the action. He laid down flat on his back on the bed, closing his eyes as he waiting for Olin. Eventually, the small doctor made his way over to Jim. He carried the warp core and a small screwdriver.

"Very well. Let us begin."


	6. Escape

Chapter 6: Escape

Spock stormed down the corridors of the _Enterprise_ with purpose, Bones and the rest of the bridge crew hot on his heels. In this one instance, no one had argued. There were all going planet-side to rescue their lost captain.

They reached the shuttle bay without intervention; the determined looks on their faces were enough to clear out anyone in their path.

Uhura, Chekhov, Sulu, Spock, and Bones sat silently in their shuttle, weapons loaded and medkits ready.

The mission was simple: get in, get Jim, get out.

With steady hands, Olin began unscrewing the car battery from Jim's chest. The captain maintained even breaths and kept his face passive through the process. In only a few minutes, the screws were out and Olin was preparing the remove the battery.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

With that, Olin reached in and pulled the battery from the port in Jim's chest. Jim could feel it tugging and had to stifle a groan. The doctor grabbed a pair of pliers and quickly began unplugging the various wires holding the battery in place. Jim clenched his teeth and scrunched up his eyes in an attempt to control the blinding pain racing through his heart. By the time the battery was completely detached, his eyes were wide and he was gasping for air. His vision was becoming spotty, and he could barely hear Olin calling for him urgently.

The doctor didn't know what to do. His patient seemed to be going into cardiac arrest, and it was his job to implant a warp core in the man's chest. It was simply outrageous. He was shaking and sweating, paralyzed with fear as he watched Jim scramble to breathe. He heard the young captain gasp a word that sounded very much like "bones," and hoped that the man wasn't experiencing some kind of electric shock through his limbs.  
Olin was thrown back into focus when Jim's eyes slid shut. He quickly began maneuvering the wires into the warp core, fingers flying as they connected blue to blue and green to green. He then slid the core into the metal port and turned it until he heard a satisfying click.

Slowly, the warp core began to glow as it gained power. A soft blue light illuminated Jim and Olin's faces. The doctor was in awe at what they had created.

It was beautiful.

Olin carefully watched Jim, growing more worried as the seconds ticked by and the captain remained unconscious. It was becoming more and more apparent that their plan had not worked, that he had killed Starfleet's poster boy.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead into Jim's bed, his body lax with defeat. After weeks of hard work, Jim had died anyways. And that meant that Olin would certainly die as well.

A sudden cough brought Olin to his feet. As he stared down at Jim, the man's eyes popped open and more coughs followed.

"Jim?" The doctor questioned cautiously.

"Never thought I'd see such a beautiful face," Jim croaked, a warm smile spreading across his cheeks.

Laughter overtook Olin. Tears slid down his face as he guffawed, dancing in small circles. Jim watched quietly from the bed, feeling energy return to him in a way that it hadn't since the accident.

Finally, Olin sat back down, running his fists across his eyes to clear the tears pooled there.  
"Ah, Captain Kirk. I never thought I'd see those eyes again. I was convinced that our crazy scheme had killed you."

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Jim responded with his usual boyish charm. He sat up in bed, flexing his fingers and stretching his neck. He'd almost died again, which was something he was trying very hard to ignore. And even though he was grateful to still be alive, he knew that their plan was not yet complete and that time still remained for him to wind up dead after all.

"Alright Olin, it looks like our work paid off. It isn't gonna be long before Duranja and his men decide to check out what, exactly, we've been up to."

Jim stood and his knees wobbled, but he managed to remain upright. He could feel the warp core humming in his chest, but it was oddly comforting. Most importantly, it allowed him to move around without being slowed down by the car battery cart. He walked to the workbench and picked up the monkey wrench that he'd requested a few days earlier. Olin grabbed a rather large screwdriver and twirled it in his hand. Together, they made their way to the only door in the cave and pressed their backs to the wall on either side of it. They could hear the pounding footsteps approaching, and they exchanged nods that said _'It's been a pleasure working with you.'_

The door swung open and Bajorans charged through. Before they could blink, Jim and Olin were all over them. The monkey wrench swung _hard_ into the temple of one, while the screwdriver plunged into the left eye of another. The two brutes went down in a heap, but more filed in to take their place.

The two humans fought with a desperation that neither had felt before. Their arms kept swinging and their legs kept kicking as they forced their way through to the hallway. Before they knew it, there was an empty expanse of corridor in front of them and a pile of dead or dying Navot behind them.

"That was some pretty impressive handiwork back there, Doc."

Olin grinned, a newfound fire in his eyes.

"The same could be said for you, Captain."

They dropped their bloody tools, picked up the discarded rifles of the Navot grunts, and raced off down the hallway before more guards could arrive.

After long minutes of sprinting, the hallway grew lighter and lighter until a curve in the path brought Jim and Olin to the exit of the complex. The door was thrown wide open, and sunlight touched the men for the first time in weeks. Jim hollered in victory.

"We did it! I can't believe we actually-"

The sharp bark of gunfire cut him off, and Jim flinched in anticipation of getting shot. When the air cleared and he still felt as if he were in one piece, he opened his eyes.

Olin lay prone on the floor next to him in a growing pool of blood; his eyes wide open as he wheezed like a fish on dry land.

"Olin!" Jim cried, preparing to fall to his knees to help the man when another figure entered his line of sight.

It was not Duranja, as he had hoped it would be. It was just another guard on patrol who had gotten lucky. The Navot's eyes flashed with glee and his mouth turned up in a smile. He had tricked them, made them put their guard down, and then attacked.

Jim shrieked, an animalistic sound that tore from his throat and ripped through the air. He raced forward, firing the rifle at his target. A thump in his shoulder followed by a sharp pain had Jim tripping, but he did not stop. He continued his barrage of 21st century bullets until he reached the Navot.

Throwing the rifle to the side, Jim kneeled down and hoisted the guard up by his armor.

"Where is Duranja?" He whispered menacingly. The guard laughed, a wet sound that angered Jim more.

"Where is he, you son of a bitch?!"

The guard went limp in Jim's hands, and Jim yelled in frustration. He threw the body to the ground and stood, the taste of defeat bitter on his tongue.

It was then that he remembered Olin. Jim's heart dropped as he raced toward the doctor, calling the man's name all the way.

"Talk to me, Olin! Don't die on me now, we're almost there!"

He slapped Olin's cheek lightly, and the doctor's eyes slid halfway open.

"Jim…"

"I'm here, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Listen. You can't… You can't tell them about me."

Jim looked down on the man in confusion.

"What? Tell who about you?"  
"Anyone… My family cannot know. They think I died… All those years ago. I cannot bring them… more pain."

"You're not dying, Olin. I'm bringing you back with me, okay? I won't leave without you."

"Promise me."

"No."

"Jim. Promise me."

Tears sprang from Jim's eyes, landing silently in tiny puddles on Olin's face. He wasn't sure the man even felt them.

"I promise."

"You are a good man, Captain Kirk. Do not… Do not waste your life."

Olin gasped a few more times, and then went still.

Jim sobbed openly, pressing his head against the doctor's chest. He knew that his blood was probably covering him by now, but he didn't care. The man had saved his life, but had been unable to save himself. And Jim had sworn never to share Olin's heroics, and he knew that it would come to haunt him.

Sniffling, Jim stood up. The door to the cave was still open and the sunlight beckoned him towards freedom. With one final glance down at Olin's body, he walked the final distance and emerged on the other side. He was greeted by miles upon miles of desert.

Jim was victorious, but he couldn't find it in him to celebrate. So, instead, he walked. And walked.

The sand stretched on forever, and the sun was merciless on Jim's pale skin. He found himself stumbling often and knew it wouldn't be long before he fell and was unable to get back up. His right arm had taken on a weird tingling sensation, and when he finally mustered up the energy to turn his head and look at it, he found a small bullet hole in his shoulder and a river of blood. The pain of it suddenly hit him, and he dropped to his knees.

After coming so far, he couldn't believe that he was going to die out in the desert. Olin had died for nothing. Jim no longer had the energy to weep. All their work had been wasted.

As his vision began to swim, Jim saw something distant in the sky. He wasn't surprised that he was hallucinating; it was common sign of heat stroke.

The object grew closer as Jim's face planted in the sand. By the time it landed nearby, he was dead to the world.

**Note: Thanks for reading! If you can, take a minute to leave a review. It means a lot to me. **


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